


follow me

by Lysaanderr



Category: TwoSet, Twosetviolin, Video Blogging RPF, twoset violin
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Young!Brett, Young!Eddy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:15:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29812458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lysaanderr/pseuds/Lysaanderr
Summary: Eddy has a surprise for Brett but nothing goes as planned.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	follow me

Brett reached up and shoved the bus window open; it creaked painfully in protest and jammed, and Brett frowned. He lifted his head to the tiny opening. A cool wind gusted over his sweaty forehead, and he pushed his bangs aside with a hand.

Then the bus jolted, and Brett dropped back into his seat with a grunt.

"It's so hot in here," Eddy complained. He was slumped over in the seat next to Brett, fanning himself with his cap that was crumpled in one fist.

Brett unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and took a swig.

“Gimme some," Eddy made a grab for his bottle, and Brett slapped at his hand. 

"Gross! It's unhygienic!" Brett huddled protectively over his bottle and eyed the taller boy. “Your bag’s full of stuff anyway,” Brett added with an air of suspicion. Eddy, in turn, hugged his bag to his chest, harrumphed, and stuck out his tongue.

Eddy had shown up at this door at the ungodly hour of six this morning, ringing the doorbell and pelting his window with pebbles with no regards to any human concept of time. Brett’s mother had let him in without question, and Eddy had darted up the stairs and dove into Brett’s bed, unceremoniously shaking him by the shoulders and hollering. The bulging backpack slung over the intruding boy’s shoulder had slipped and rudely walloped Brett across the face.

Brett had tried to smother Eddy with one of his pillows, but he attributed his failure to having just been woken up and was grumpily ushered into the bathroom with a “Hurry up, let’s go!”

So. He found himself here on the bus, dressed and armed with a water bottle that his mother had quickly slipped into his hands, along with a reminder that cake was to be had in the evening, as he was manhandled out the door with no idea of what was happening.

Brett took another sip from his bottle, keeping Eddy in his peripheral vision. The other boy was surreptitiously unzipping his bag and peeking in it.

“Well,” Brett said pointedly, and Eddy jumped. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see,” Eddy replied, trying hard to sound mysterious. But then a grin split across his face and he elbowed the bespectacled boy in the side. “We’re here!” He leaned over Brett, pressing the palms of his hands to the window.

The bus turned down Middle Street and into Toondah Harbour, and the bus gave a nasal burp of a sound to announce its stop. The boys scrambled noisily off the bus and Eddy peeled two creased tickets from his pocket. They were damp and strangely sticky, and rather than risk touching it, Brett tilted his head to read the words on the upside-down tickets in Eddy’s palm: North Stradbroke Island.

“We’re going to Straddie?” Brett’s forehead wrinkled. “Why?”

“Why not?” Eddy beamed and hooked an arm around one of Brett’s. “The ferry comes every hour, so we probably won’t have to wait long!”

On the 50-minute ride on the ferry from the harbour to the island, Brett tried cajoling Eddy into revealing his plans for the day, but Eddy was surprisingly—for once—tight-lipped.

“Don’t worry about it.” Eddy nodded with what he probably thought was confidence. “Just follow me.”

Brett watched as Eddy freed a map from his backpack and pored over it. He leaned back in his seat and tucked his hands behind his head. Eddy did seem excited, so Brett decided to let it go for now.

They got off the ferry and ambled from the terminal toward a shop that had surfboards and bikes lined up along the wall.

“Bikes are $30 for a whole day,” a lankly man slouched out from store’s entrance, the bell ringing as the door swung open.

Eddy flourished his ID. “We’ll take two!”

* * *

And off they went, along Moreton Bay and up past Adams Beach.

Eddy consulted his map.

They went past Myora Springs which was a little north from the ferry terminal they got off at, but Brett found himself staring at the sign for Bradburys Beach, south of the terminal.

Then they were off across the National Park and along East Coast Road.

They stopped by the wetlands for a quick break. Eddy scowled at his map and flipped it upside-down a few times.

Brett looked out at the South Pacific Ocean, tipping his head back at the cool coming off the water. Eddy mumbled something under his breath, shoved the map into a back pocket and pedalled on. Brett sighed.

On and on they went, passing lakes and wetlands and down winding trails through the National Park.

The early morning had turned to mid-afternoon, and the air swelled to a blistering heat.

“Hang on.” Brett stopped pedalling, wheezing. Sweat dribbled down the sides of his face, and he pushed his damp bangs out of his face. The fabric of his shirt clung to his torso, dark patches swelling across his shoulder blades and back.

Eddy didn’t look too good either; his hair was mused, sticking up where he had run his hand through it, and he had chewed his bottom lip bloody. Eddy stopped too, flung his bike aside in a huff, and slumped over by the path at the base of a tree.

“’s okay, Eddy,” Brett let go of his bike and it clattered to the ground. He dropped down on the grass next to the other boy, arms stretched out. “We can just chill here for a bit.”

Brett rolled over onto his side and prodded Eddy in the back; Eddy was curled up on his side too, facing away. The prod elicited no response so Brett poked a little harder and this time, Eddy squirmed.

“Stop it!” Eddy whined but he did flail a little so he could flop over and glare at Brett.

Brett rolled his eyes. As expected, Eddy was pouting, his lips darkened from where he had bitten it.

“What’s the matter?” Brett asked.

There was a beat of silence.

Eddy took a deep breath and opened his mouth. Brett waited. Then Eddy closed his mouth. Brett waited.

“I wanted to have a picnic,” Eddy admitted finally, still sulking. “Kinda like an early birthday celebration, you know? I even brought sandwiches and stuff. I read online that the island had lots of good spots.” He groused and flung an arm over his eyes. “But now we’re lost and… blarghhh…” Eddy’s groan was muffled as he rolled and face-planted into the grass.

The dirt felt cool against Brett’s cheek, and he watched the rise and fall of Eddy’s back. They lay there, the branches swaying overhead in the breeze, patches of light falling through the leaves and across their sprawled bodies. Brett closed his eyes, the pulse of his thudding heart slowing as he caught his breath.

There was a faint rustle, and then Brett felt Eddy’s sticky-warm hand drifting hesitantly over his elbow.

“Sorry.” Eddy’s voice still sounded muffled.

Brett’s mouth twitched. They had spent most of the day clambering up and down in the heat, getting bitten by mosquitoes and flies, and Eddy’s allergies had even started acting up from tramping through the woods. They were both sweaty and sticky and exhausted, and they didn’t even manage to have anything to eat since morning.

“This is a great spot for a picnic, don’t you think?” Brett finally said and opened his eyes. Eddy’s face was looming over his, eyes watery and mouth still slanted in a slight pout. His lips parted in surprise.

“Come on.” Brett sat up and brushed off the front of his shirt. “Hand me some of those sandwiches or whatever. I’m starving.”

Eddy scrambled for his backpack and finally revealed his hoard of sandwiches, juice, and TimTams.

They dug in, ripping open the saran-wrapped sandwiches and stabbing their straws into their juice boxes. They guzzled in relative quiet for a while, too hungry to say much.

Brett crammed another mouthful of bread into his mouth as he gazed around. The main trail they were on wound further uphill but there was a little path that went off between the trees, the grass flattened and ground muddy.

“What’s that over there?” Brett jerked his chin toward the shadowed path and took another loud slurp of his juice.

“Dunno.” Eddy shrugged and tore open another packet of TimTams. “I gave up looking at the map,” Eddy added a little dolefully.

Brett inhaled the rest of his drink and crushed the carton in his fist. “Let’s go check it out.”

* * *

"Oh, wow," Eddy breathed.

They emerged from the path in the trees and found themselves in a little lookout platform at the top of a hill. The water stretched out beneath them and the horizon was clear, the day’s deepening light glinting through the clouds.

Brett peered down at the beach below, watching the little figures of people moving about. A pair of children were darting across the white sand, screeching with laughter. Out on the water, surfers and paddlers bobbed up and down, their swimwear colourful specks rising and falling with the gentle waves.

“See?” Eddy puffed up his chest and jabbed a thumb at himself. “I told you to just follow me, didn’t I? And everything turned out all right!” He punctuated the last two words with a dab.

Brett grunted as Eddy lunged forward and flung his arms around him in a hug.

“Happy birthday, bro.” Eddy’s voice was warm in his ear.

Brett tightened his own grip across Eddy’s back. The breeze was almost sweet, brushing featherlight over his cheeks.

Then Eddy gasped and jerked away, his gaze going past Brett.

"Look!" Eddy pointed. Brett turned around and squinted, a hand raised to shade his eyes from the dazzling light. A shimmering shine of grey broke the surface of the water as a humpback whale breached, its tail lifting in a glittering spray. 

They whooped, their laughter echoing across the water.

“Let’s head down to the beach and get a closer look!” Eddy grabbed Brett’s wrist and tugged, already setting off at a jog. “Follow me!”

Brett stumbled but let himself be pulled along. He looked up at Eddy, the other boy glancing down over his shoulder at Brett. In the early evening light, Eddy’s wide eyes glowed with the blue of the sky and the water.

“I will, I will!” Brett laughed. _I always will._

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, Brett!


End file.
